Stir Crazy

I may have started something that has started to get away from me...  Last week several five and six year-olds in class started talking about how hungry they were.  It seemed of no consequence that we had just stomped in from lunch.  The conviction in some of the voices was unsettling.  I almost started to believe that they were in a near starving state.  So, I offered. “I could pop some popcorn if you like.”

“Yes!  Yes! A popcorn party!” was the reply (I did pause for a minute and think, “Wait a minute. Nobody said anything about a full fledged “party”.  Kids seem to think your classroom transitions from a learning center to a party palace once food is introduced. This is not the case, trust me.)

I hadn’t popped corn for this group before this time and forgot just how darn exciting it can be for a youngster to have this irregular experience at school. (Though we had a tonic water taste test a few weeks ago and that was a wild and crazy fun time. So, what made me think this wouldn't be?) Ipulled out the old fashioned Stir Crazy.  You know the kind that have a plastic bubble lid with a wire stirring arm on the bottom of the pan?  The arm whirls around and you can see the popcorn popping right before your eyes.  This was an anomaly to the kids.  I dare say none of them had laid eyes on one of these magic makers from the past.  Suddenly I felt like I had the secret to life’s happiness. (I suppose there is some truth to that when you think of it in the terms of a five or six year old.  An impromptu popcorn “party” is just the thing to bring joy.)

Eager sets of eyes from the student body watched as I poured oil into the whirling pan bottom.

“What is that?”

“Why are you doing that?”

“When will it be ready?”….. and so on.  (I think to just myself, "I am like the guys on MASTER CHEF." I don't let any of the side conversation distract me from the work at hand)

I pour in the recommended amount of corn and slip the bubble lid back on.  Then the waiting begins.  Kindergarten and “waiting” are not the best combination.  They are similar to oil and water or sand on your salad or driving with your parking break on.  They don’t work well together.  There were several premature announcements of "I see it popping!" and "I saw one pop!" LONG before any real popping had occurred.  This is just standard fare when dealing with five and six year olds.  There is no sense in trying to call them out on it. 

Finally the aroma began to fill the room as did the auditory signal that things were happening in the golden colored dome, which now was spewing steam from the tiny holes at the top.  All hope of completing any work with the kids was out the window.  Not a child was in their seat any more.  Instead, all twenty-four “starving” and curious youngsters were jockeying for a vantage point that would allow them to see the transformation in front of their eyes.  Of course there were the customary comments like “Cool!” and “How does it do that?”, “Is the lid gonna pop off?”

Of course I have to maintain the cool and say, “Calm down…. Everyone calm down… You’ll see what happens.” (Not always the favorite response to kids who are eager to know this second what is going to come next!)

Finally the magic is over as the popping slows...... I do the borderline "magic trick / accident waiting to happen" and whip the contraption upside down so the bubble lid can now be used as a bowl. (No skin was burned and no eyes poked out, so it wasn’t anything too serious….just excess oil dripping everywhere.)

As kids munched on this tasty treat I was glad to have some closure to the impromptu chaos of popcorn popping.  Within the half hour the popper was put away and the students were back to work. I didn’t give it another thought until yesterday and again today when kids walked in upon arriving without saying, “Hello.”, but instead greeted me with, “Can we make popcorn today?” and “Will you pop some more today?”

So, three days later........and we are still making popcorn on a daily basis.  As I write this I am sitting here on the sofa, at home, at 7:30 p.m. with toothpicks in my eyes trying to stay awake reminding myself that I need to don some shoes and hit the grocery store to get more popcorn because we have blown throw two bags in just four days. Then I do some mental calculating and wonder if I get up 15 minutes earlier tomorrow would I have time to stop at the grocery that is a few blocks from our school, or will I in my old age forget and not be prepared for the sure to be litany of “Will there be popcorn popping today?” questions when the kids stomp into class in the morning?............ It is a gamble.

 Then I am reminded that if all it takes is a break with the Stir Crazy to make school exciting, what’s the harm?

Plus I learned something else today.....  If I leave the classroom door open while popping it is sure to rouse a few of my colleagues who will then stomp down to the Kindergarten to see if they can have a cup of corn too.  (It is always nice to have an adult visitor or two when the majority of your day is spent repeating yourself.  Not that I am complaining, mind you. It is just a nice break to be able to say something once and not have to repeat it nineteen more times…)